Last and method of making



Oct. 28, 1941. R. c. APPLETON 2,261,012

LAST AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Jah 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY v Oct. 28, 1941. c. APPLE-[ON 2,261,012

Y LAST AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Jan. 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 9 r v Royal 0 flp oleian "BYSF g a 5;

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 LAST AND METHODLOF MAKDN' GJ Royal 0. Appleton, Brockton, Mass; Leila H. Appleton administratrix of Royal C. Appleton,

deceased- Application January 8, 1940., Serial-No. 312,947:

8 Claims.

My present invention relates to-novel lasts and to the manufacture of footwear" in general;

In order that my invention may be readily appreciated, it is necessary to review such apparently unrelated factors as the human foot and the lasting operation in the quantity production of footwear since my analysis of the problems presented by each factor reveals that these are closely-related in the economy of manufacture,

of proper fitting and attractive footwear.

Under present day conditions, the lasting operations, both the pulling-over of the toe and the side-lasting, are, in the quantity production of footwear, effected almost exclusively by machines. The pulling-over machine is adapted to grip the tip portion of an upper, the rear of which isattached to the rear of a last and to pull the upper to the wood and to tack it to the last in its pulled-over position. The upper is then sidelasted according to the discretionof the operator.

As the usual upper is positioned on a last, the draft of the pulling-over machine is, in effect, resultantly divided by the last contours so that thepull may be said to be on the inside and outside of the last longitudinally considered. The

zone of pull on a last is commonly known as its draft or draft. line, and whether or not the draft lines on each side of a last are equal, determines whether or not the lasting operation can be effected properly.

Each upper patternand the resultant upper as now customarily cut is centered upona center line between the center of the heel and they center of the extreme conventional toe end of the upper, which center line conforms to the center line of the last- I will hereinafter refer to this line as the center line of the upper.

It. is necessary to consider briefly the form of the ordinary last and its relation to the upper and to the foot. Lasts are invariably made with their cones disposed angularly towards their inside edges with reference to a line or plane extending from the center of the heel to the center of. the. extreme toe end of the last. The degree of angularity between the. central plane of the last and the central vertical plane of. the cone varies'widely in all types of lasts from. as little asone degree to a very considerable degree.

It will be apparent that as the present central vertical plane of the conevaries in its angularity to-the central vertical plane of the last, the draft lines become unequal and the inside draft is greater than the outside draft. Accordingly, the upper material on the inside'is stretched in lasting relative to-th'e-uppermaterial on the outside to secure the straight lay of'theupper on the last and in the finished shoe. Evidence of the harder pull on the inside presents itself in crookedback seams, crooked tips, off-center lacings, the ears or nose of blucher footwear off center and the in side walls of Vamps higher than their outsidewalls.

It should also benoted that where the pulling-- over machine exerts a harder pull on the inside;

the upper material onthat side is distorted and is accordingly weakened. The grain of the leather is opened up by this distortion making, for example, first quality kid' appear to be of inferior quality.

Such marks of imperfection are noticeable in almost all footwear and attempts to avoid them have included such unsatisfactory expedients as the swinging of the tips'backward on the outside in upper fitting so that they ultimately liestraight at the completion of the lasting operation. Of course, exceptionally'badresults can be corrected in part during side-lasting, by re-lasting, and by ironing or flaming to shrink the upper, but these are expensive and impractical since.

they merely reduce the degree of inherent imperfection.

The normal human foot, like the lasts and uppers above discussed, has its center line; This line extends from the-rear center of the heel ithrough the middle of the second toe and when the center line of a shoe is parallel to the direction of its travel, the foot is'protected from unnatural strains. y

In shoes made on former lasts above described,

the foot was. unavoidably'crowded towards the outside since the'cone of the last'establishes the axisof the front part of" the footwear while the position of the foot in the shoe is defined by the In. such I over, lasts have been customarily formed to. be fuller on the inside portions at the waist and instep portion than on the corresponding outside. This attempted solution 'of the problem was not successful and actually made fora much reater difference in thedraft'lines;

It will thus be seen. that from the viewpoint of both the manufacturer and, the wearer, the

problem of producing proper footwear is ultimately directly concerned with the production of mechanically proper lasts.

In accordance with myinvention, Iovercomthe present difficulties by providing lasts in which the central plane of the cone is in the plane defined by the center line of the last and the last contours above the draft are symmetrical, ensuring the equalization of all lines of pull. Below the draft line the last may, according to my invention, be shaped as desired.

In the accompanying drawings, I have attempted to illustrate my invention to make its novel features readily apparent particularly to those skilled in the art. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shoe made in accordance with my invention broken away to show the proper relation of footwear to the human foot as indicated.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a last in accordance with my invention with its draft lines indicated.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views showing opposite sides of the last of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a reversible upper pattern of the blucher type laid flat.

- Fig. '6 is a similar plan view of a reversible pattern of the oxford type.

Fig. 7 approximates a side view of the pattern of Fig. 6 broken away and folded on its center line to show its symmetry.

As an introduction to my invention it will be found helpful to consider certain characteristics of the construction of uppers. In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown typical patterns A and B that may beconsidered as uppers, flattened to show their symmetry.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, such uppers as A and B have a center line C extending to the center of the toe from the usual heel seam established by stitching the ends I together. The usual straight tip is indicated at 2 and it will be noted that the tip line 3 is correctly positioned with reference to the center line C so that corresponding lines drawn from any points 4 or to on the tip line 3 equi-distant from the center line C to any point or points 5, 6, and I along the heel seam, are of equal length. From Figs. 5 and 6 it will be noted that lines from any point 8 on the center line C to any points, such as the point 6 on the heel seam along both sides of the upper, are

equal.

In Fig. '7, I have represented an upper partly broken away and folded on its center line C to emphasize its symmetry. Upper stock engageable by the pulling-over machine or by the sidelaster, is indicated at 9. Such upper stock is generally referred to as lasting allowance.

Uppers are customarily made in this manner with the exception of such changes in the position of the tips as are necessitated by present lasting which requires that the tips be set back on the outside in order that they may be pulled straight on the wood.

' In Figs. 2-4, I have shown a last II] in accordance with my invention. The last Ill includes a heel part II, a cone part I2, and a fore part I3. The last III has a center line I4 extending from the rear center of the heel part II to the center of theextreme toe portion I3. The line I I- defines a plane that will hereinafter be referred to as the central plane of the last. In accordance with my invention the central plane of the last is also the central plane of the cone.

An upper, before being pulled-over is assembled on a last and anchored by a tack through its heel seam into the heel of the last along the center-line I4. The last, therefore, divides the upper into inside and outside portions. The pulling-over machine (not shown) grips the toe portion of the upper stock 9 along the center line C and, in terms of the last, the pull is, at the extreme center toe end of the fore part I 3. I have indicated the lines of pull or draft Zones, along each side of the last II), at P, and in accordance with my invention these lines are of equal length.

I shape my lasts so that straight lines on each side of the last ID from any point on the heel center line I 4 to any point elsewhere along the center line I4 are equal. I have selected three such points I5, l6, and Il (Fig. 4) on the heel center line located adjacent the top, bottom and middle of the heel center line. From these points I have indicated straight lines on each side of the last to the point I 8 adjacent the base of the cone I2 indicating the position of the throat of a shoe. It will be apparent that the corresponding lines on each side of the last are of equal length. Vertical lines I9 are indicated to show that the straight lines above referred to are also equi-distant from the center line I4 of the last.

It will be appreciated that any two points on the center line I4 may be selected to establish straight lines of equal length, one on each side of the last. For example, a point 20 is shown on the center line I4 in that portion of the cone I2 establishing the instep and straight lines on each side of the last ID to the point I! are of equal length.

It will be apparent that within and above the draft lines P my lasts are symmetrical with reference to the central plane I4. In the heel part I I, lasts in accordance with my invention are also symmetrical above the lines connecting the point I5 and the point I8. Since the uppers are symmetrical with reference to their center lines C, the pull of the pulling-over machine affects the upper equally on both sides of the last II so that it is pulled evenly against the wood. In Figs. 2-4, the lines connecting the indicated points may be considered as generally defining the zones of the upper pulled to the wood by the pulling-over machine. Accurate side-lasting is, therefore, expedited by my invention since both sides of the upper are equally affected, and cannot be readily distorted in side-lasting.

On lasts made in accordance with my invention, the uppers can be pulled-over with uniform accuracy so long as they are properly assembled. It should be noted that my lasts may be formed as desired below and outside the indicated lines of draft P. One very real advantage of this is that a single pattern may be adequate for a wide range of last styles with a consequent saving in pattern and die costs.

A principal feature of my invention is the essential relation of footwear to the human foot. The foot, as indicated in Fig. 1, has a center line F extending from the rear center of the heel to the center of the second toe. When the center line of the foot, indicated at 22, is in the direction of travel, the foot is naturally free of abnormal strains.

As will be noted in Fig. l, a shoe 30 in accordance with my invention has its center line inclusive of the center line F of the foot since the last on which it was lasted had the central plane of the cone I2 wholly within the central plane I4 of the last. For that reason, the foot is not urged against the outside of the shoe so that the shoe 3!] may be truly said to fit the foot accuare also novel in that the entire upper is evenly stretched in the lasting operation and therefore is without weakened portions resulting from the unequal stretching of uppers on the present lasting basis.

Shoes in accordance with my invention are 1 33 are even, horizontally considered.

In summary, my invention provides for the production, under commercial conditions, of proper and attractive footwear with increased economy to the manufacturer and a lesser physical and mental strain to the operators. Because lasts in accordance with my invention are symmetrical above the draft line and have only one vertical plane, it is possible to adapt one pattern to a wide variety of last fore part styles. This economy, coupled with the savings in lasting costs, are of great practical importance to the manufacturer. My invention also results in a readily obtained uniformity of product impossible to obtain on lasts not made in accordance with my invention and is adaptable to all types of foot-wear and all types of construction.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. A last comprising heel, fore part, and cone portions, said last having a center line extending from the rear center of the heel portion to the front center of the fore part portion and 'establishing a central plane for the last, said cone portion having a central plane wholly included by the central plane of the last, and said last portions being formed to establish draft lines of equal length.

2. A last comprising heel, fore part, and con portions, said last having a center line extending from the rear center of the heel portion to the front center of the fore part portion and establishing a central plane for the last, said cone portion having a central plane wholly included by the central plane of the last, said last portions being formed to establish draft lines of equal lines being symmetrical with reference to a vertical plane inclusive of said center line and the last portions below said draft lines being conventionally asymmetrical.

4. A last comprising heel, fore part, and cone portions, said last having a center line extending from the rear center of the heel portion to the front center of" the. fore part portion and establishing an inside and an outside of said last, said last portions being shaped to establish draft lines of equal length from said front center of said fore part portion to said rear center of said heel part portion along said inside and outside and said last portions being formed so that straight lines along said outside and said inside between any two points on said center line are equal. I

' 5(The last of claim 4 in which one of the points is located along the center line in said cone portion and the other of the. points is located in the center line along the back of the heel portion.

6. Footwear comprising a sole and an upper having fore and heel parts, said footwear having a centralvertical plane defined by a straight line between the rear center of the heel part and the front center of the fore part, said fore part being shaped to encase the foot of the wearer with said'plane' extending through the center of the second toe, said upper presentingtop and bottom portions definable with reference to the lines of pull on said upper during the pullingover operation, said bottom portion being conventionally asymmetrical and the top portion being symmetrical with reference to said central vertical plane. I

7. In the manufactur of lasts, those steps that consist in establishing a last with a center-line determined by the center line of the foot and in shaping the last with the central vertical plane of the cone wholly within a vertical plane in- I 8.' In the manufacture of lasts, those steps that consist in establishing a last with a center line length, and the last portions above said draft determined by the center line of the foot, in shaping the last with the central vertical plane ofthe cone wholly within a vertical plane inclusive of said center line and with the draft lines of equal length, and in shaping the last above said draft lines to be symmetrical with reference to said central plane.

ROYAL O. APPLETON. 

